Safety-guard for use on trucks and automobiles



s. E. ATHERTON. SAFETY GUARD FOR USE ON TRUCKS AND AUTOMOBILES.

- APPLICATION FILED JULY 7.191 9. l,354,,444:.

Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' STANLEY E. ATHERTON, GF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

SAFETY-GUARD FOR USE ON TRUCKS AND AUTOMOBILES.

To an iii/1cm may concern Be it known that I, 5 array E. Ariana TON, a citizen of the United S ates, and resident of Cleveland, in the county of Guyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Saftey-Guards for Use on Trucks and Automobiles, of which I hereby declare the following to be full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The objects of the invention are to pro vide a. safety guard for attachment to the front of an automobile or truck, by'means of which a person struck by the machine will be protected from a painful or fatal accident, and will be supported in an erect position until the machine can be made to slow down or stop. lhe ordinary effect when a person is struck by a machine is to throw him violently backward upon the pavement and to fracture his limbs or skull, and this invention is designed to break the fall and prevent contact with the pavement by suppor ing him in a more or less erect positi n.

Resilient means are also employed for breaking the force of the blow and for re leasing a supporting device which instantly falls behind him and prevents him from falling.

The invention includes a vertically swinging frame or safety device having a front transverse bar, which will be projected forwardly of the machine when it falls to retain the body of any one struck, and keepers which normally support the safety device in an elevated position and a tripping means for the said keepers, arranged in advance of other parts, so that it will be the first to strike a body, and will release the keepers to permit the safety device to fall and encircle the body of the one struck, and therefore prevent him from being forcibly thrown to the pavement.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective of the device, showing it' in the elevated position, Fig. 2 is a side elevation, showing it after falling, Fig. 3 is a transverse section of supporting posts showing the tripping devices therein. In these views A A are posts or supports attached Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

. Application filcdJuly 7, 1919. Serial No. 308,987.

to a convenient part of the machine as the side frames, 1), B, are brackets secured to these posts, C, C, are the arms of the safety device, which are connected at their outer ends by the transverse bar or 100 C, and are pivoted to the brackets B at and D. These extended arms are supported by means of the tripping keepers E, E pivoted in the posts A, in an elevated position and a wire rope F extends across the front of the device and is attached at each end to the tripping keepers E-so that wien a person is struck by the rope F, the keepers E will be withdrawn andthe safety device will fall to a horizontal position where it will rest upon the stop members H, H, on the posts A. Additional wire ropes I, I are stretched from post to post to prevent any part of the machine from touching the person struck, but the tripping rope F is positioned sufliciently in advance of the other ropes to first release the safety device.

Springs J, J, instantly drop the safety device so that the cross bar will fall behind the back of the person struck and prevent him from falling backward, and will support him until he can recover his balance as the machine slows down or stops. To prevent injury to the back of the person struck, wire ropes K, or other resilient buffing means are stretched across the outward end of the safety device behind the transverse bar 0 to receive the weight.

lVire ropes L, L, extending from the posts to the outer ends of the arms support them and the weight of any one falling on them. When the arms are again raised and tripping keepers E are released, springs F, F return the keepers to their projected positions, and prevent the arms from falling. Braces strengthen the posts. It will be seen that with this device, a man, woman or child struck by the tripping rope F will be instantly protected from falling backward by the looped end of the safety guard until the machine can be made to slow up or stop. Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a safety device for an automobile, a vertically swinging frame or loop, a support for each side of said frame, to which the frame is pivoted, keepers movable in said supports and adapted to retain said frame normally in an elevated position, a tripping wire or rope connecting said keepers across the front of the machine and positioned to receive the impact of a person standing in the path of the machine, to re lease said keepers from said frame,- and means limiting the fall of said frame.

ping wire or rope connecting said keepers between said supports, buffer ropes stretched between said supports and at the outer extremity of said frame to receive the Weight of a body received thereon, springs for accelerating the downward movement of said frame and brace ropes connecting said supports and the outer end of'said'frame.

3. In a safety device for the purpose set forth,a vertically swinging frame or loops havin a crossbar at its front end su)'' b 0' n l p 7 ports for'said frame in which said frame is pivoted, spring pressed keepers in said supports upon which said frame rests, when in an elevated position, a tripping rope connecting' said keepers in front of said supports, and buffer ropes stretched between said supports and at the outer extremity of said frame to receive the weight of a body received thereon, and springs for accelerat ing the downward movement of said frame.

4. In a safety device for the purpose set f0rth,'a vertically; swinging frame or loop having a cross bar a-tits front end, supports frame.

for said frame in which saidframe is pivoted, spring pressedkeepers in said supports upon which said frame rests, when in an elevated position, a tripping wire rope connecting saidkeepers between said supports, and buffer ropes stretched between said supports and at the outer extremity of said frame to receive the weight of a body received thereon, and springs for accelerating the downward movement of said frame, and stops for limiting the downward movement of said frame. 7, t 7' 5. In a safety device for an automobile in combination, a swinging frame or loop, a support for each side of said frame, a keeper pivoted in each support, a flexible conned tion between said keepers, said flexible con: nection extending between said supports in the path of the machine, a stop means limiting the fall of the said frame.

6. In a safety device for an automobile in combination, a'swin ing frame or loop,

a support for each si e ofsaid frame, a-

keeper pivoted in each support, a flexible connection. between said keepers, said flexibleconnection extending-between said sup ports in the path of the machine, a stop means limiting the fall of the said frame and springs for accelerating the fall of said In testimony whereof, I hereunto set my hand this 9Vday of June, 1919. V f 7 STANLEY E. ATHERTON. In presence-of- CHAS. :F- S rn, WV M. MoNRoE. 

